Valerie Richardson

Tancredo rouses gun rights advocates

DENVER | Former Rep. Tom Tancredo, best known for his tough stand in Congress against illegal immigration, has taken up a new cause since his retirement from the House last year: defending American gun owners against international treaties.

December 4, 2009

Delayed Pap test proposal, breast cancer report fuel health fight

A leading medical group added new fuel to a budding health care controversy on Friday by recommending that women delay their first cervical-cancer screening until age 21 instead of starting the test three years after becoming sexually active.

November 21, 2009

Tribe battles to keep logo for Fighting Sioux

The most prominent defenders of the University of North Dakota's right to call its teams the Fighting Sioux are neither alumni nor hockey fans.

November 20, 2009

Sebelius shuns new mammogram report

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius rejected an independent panel's advice that breast-cancer screenings be delayed for women in their 40s in the face of a backlash by Republicans, who argued the report is a taste of things to come under a Democratic health care system.

November 19, 2009

Colorado joins trend to tax medical marijuana

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. on Tuesday directed the state's medical-marijuana dispensaries to pay sales tax and obtain retail-sales licenses, bringing the once-taboo product closer to mainstream respectability.

November 18, 2009

Washington Blade closes; new paper for gays planned

The Washington Blade stopped the presses Monday after 40 years, but another publication serving the gay community may rise in its ashes.

November 17, 2009

Washington Blade newspaper shutters

The Washington Blade newspaper has shut down after 40 years, but staffers say they plan another publication to serve Washington's gay community.

November 16, 2009

‘Balloon boy’ parents set to plead guilty

The Colorado parents accused of perpetrating the "balloon boy" hoax were charged with felony and misdemeanor counts Thursday and have agreed to plead guilty Friday as part of a plea agreement.

November 13, 2009

Lawyer: Balloon boy parents to plead guilty

The Colorado parents accused of masterminding the "balloon-boy" escapade plan to plead guilty Friday to both felony and misdemeanor charges and could serve light jail terms as part of a plea agreement designed to keep the family together, according to their attorney.

November 12, 2009

Gay rights movement sees few gains

Gay rights advocates took some comfort in small victories from Tuesday's elections after suffering a major defeat in Maine, where voters rejected a state same-sex marriage law.

November 5, 2009

Maine gay marriage ban locked in vote

The vote on whether to affirm or reject same-sex marriage in Maine remained too close to call in Tuesday's early election returns.

November 4, 2009

Aborted fetus cells used in beauty creams

A San Francisco cosmetics company has ignited an outcry among pro-lifers for including an unexpected ingredient in its anti-aging creams: skin-cell proteins from an aborted fetus.

November 3, 2009

Historic vote on same-sex unions in Maine

Maine voters will make history next month when they cast their ballots on whether to legalize same-sex marriage in the state — one way or another.

October 27, 2009

‘Balloon-boy’ dad told sons to lie, police say

Richard Heene instructed his children to lie to police and involved them in possible felony criminal behavior as part of last week's "balloon-boy" hoax, law enforcement authorities say.

October 21, 2009

Slew of mayoral races spice up election season

More than a dozen big and mid-sized cities are electing mayors on Nov. 3.

October 20, 2009

Colo. sheriff bursts story of ‘balloon boy’

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden concluded fairly early on that the "balloon boy" saga was nothing but hot air, yet he continued to state publicly that he believed the Heenes were telling the truth.

October 19, 2009

Sheriff: ‘Balloon boy’ saga was hoax

UPDATED: The "balloon boy" saga was nothing but hot air, according to authorities, who said the entire Heene family was in on the publicity stunt.

October 18, 2009

‘Balloon boy’ family likely faces charges

The Larimer County Sheriff said Saturday that criminal charges would be filed against one or both of the parents of the six-year-old boy who was hiding in his garage attic while authorities thought he was flying through the air in a homemade helium balloon.

October 18, 2009

Sheriff rechecks family’s balloon account

An investigation is under way by the Larimer County Sheriff's Office to determine whether Thursday's balloon-boy episode was real or a hoax.

October 17, 2009

Boy found in attic, not homemade balloon

As it turned out, the Falcon had only flown up to the attic.

October 16, 2009